Virginia Tech men's basketball in the mix for talented transfer guard

One day into the transfer portal, the Virginia Tech men’s basketball team has lost five players to the portal, with more likely to come. Replacing the outgoing players through the portal will be a must. Once again, Mike Young will have a number of needs in this cycle, but he is reportedly expected to have a bigger NIL package than before. We’ll see.

If you want to break down where Virginia Tech’s needs are, good luck. Guards is an area where the Hokies have struggled the last couple of seasons with Rodney Rice leaving the program before the start of the 2023-24 season and Hysier Miller being dismissed prior to the start of this past season. Point guard Brandon Rechsteiner is leaving in the portal after is was reported last week that he’ll look to find a new home for next season.

The portal is loaded with guards and one of them, Jalen Jackson, is drawing interest from several teams, including Virginia Tech and he would be a sneaky-good addition to the roster if Young was able to somehow land him.

Virginia Tech in the mix for PFW guard Jalen Jackson

When it comes to Jackson, he checks a lot of the boxes of what the Hokies need. The 6-foot-2 ball-handler for the past two seasons at Purdue Fort Wayne averaged 19.3 points a game this year, 4.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.6 steals in 32 minutes of action a night. Over the past two seasons, he averaged 15 points a game with an expanded role in 2024-25.

Other programs reportedly in the mix for Jackson include Michigan, Maryland, Butler, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and TCU. Right now, Virginia Tech has Ben Hammond as the lone guard slated to return next season, so once again, the guard position will be a focal point in the portal for Young.